


It hurts to miss you but feels good to remember you.

by harryisqueen



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 05:10:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13241112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harryisqueen/pseuds/harryisqueen
Summary: El reflects on what a truly great father Hopper was.





	It hurts to miss you but feels good to remember you.

**Author's Note:**

> Parts in italics are memories!. Also, just a quick warning that there are mentions of cancer and if that might be in any way triggering to you please do not read! Parts in italics are memories!

When Eleven first got the call from Will she thought there was no way it could be true. He had explained to her that Hopper the man she had come to call dad had died. She knew it was inevitable but that did not make it hurt any less. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer just 4 short months before and she didn’t understand how it could progress so quickly. She still remembered the day he had told her it had spread to his liver.

“I’ll be okay Ellie bell don’t worry about me focus on you and that wheeler boys wedding.” Hopper had said to her with a gentle smile gracing his features.

She and Mike had become engaged around a year ago agreeing they would get married after they both finished their college. Hopper had been very excited about the engagement despite the “this Wheeler kid isn’t good for my daughter” front he put up.  
  
  
El curled up against her headboard leaning her head back to cry. He wouldn’t be able to see her get married. He would not be able to walk her down the aisle. He was gone. And it hurt so much. She remembered the first time they had fought. It was over the silliest of things. Eleven had become frustrated that she wasn’t learning concepts as quickly as she would like but she still felt she was ready to begin school at Hawkins middle.  
_  
I told you Eleven you’ll start school once you can grasp everything.” Hopper had said already becoming frustrated with El’s attitude._

_“I told you I’m ready now,” El screamed stomping her foot in a way a child would._

_“Listen, kid, I know you think you’re ready but you’re not. You don’t need to go through bullying because you don’t know everything all the other kids know you don’t deserve that” Hopper said trying to explain to El he wasn’t withholding her from school because he just wanted to._

_"That won’t happen if I act like I know everything the other kids know.” El fired back at him._  
  
 Hopper sighed pinching the bridge of his nose. “

_I know you feel like you could pretend but kids are cruel they would catch on that you weren’t as advanced as the rest of them and you would be a target. That could also very well draw attention to any lab members who might still be living.” Hopper said._

_El screamed and then stomped into her bedroom slamming the door as loudly and dramatically as possible making sure Hopper could sense she was mad at him. That same night around 11:30 pm she heard a gentle knock on her door. She rolled over and bed to look at the door in contemplation of whether she would let him in or not. She eventually made up her mind going for the first option._

_“Come in” she mumbled._  
  
  
Hopper gently pushed open the door to El’s room to let himself in. He shuffled his way in settling himself on the edge of her bed. After a few moments of silence, he finally spoke up. “

_Listen, kid, I know it seems like I’m just trying to keep you from going to school so you’ll have to sit in this cabin but I’m looking out for you. I don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone to treat you any differently. I’m confident in a year or two you’ll know enough that we’ll be able to enrol you into Hawkins high,” He said to her._

_She sighed up eventually looked up at him with a smile_

_“Halfway happy,” she said with a small shrug._

_He snorted and pulled her to his side in a hug._  
  
El sniffled and smiled slightly at the memory. Despite the fact she had acted like a brat he still had come to encourage her. As her head continued to wander, she remembers the first time she had called him dad.  
  
  
_El was 18 years old now and had been going to Hawkins high since her freshman year now being in her Senior year of high school. She was laying on the couch trying to make some sense of the pre-calc homework that still seemed to stump her no matter how hard she tried. With a defeated groan, she hoisted herself off the couch and dragged her feet into Hopper’s “man cave” which was basically just a small room where he napped and watched tv. “_

_Jim” she groaned walking into the room and announcing her presence._

_“What’s up kid?” he asked looking up from the tv where some football came was playing on the tv._

_“None of this math makes any sense to me,” she said tossing her homework at him to look at as she slouched down in the seat beside him._  
  
  
  _Hopper’s eyes scanned the page of math work._

_After a few minutes of him looking over the homework, he snorted, “Shoot kid me either.”_

_El laughed snatching the paperback._

_“Aren’t you just the best of help?” she said to him sarcastically._

_“_ Listen _Ellie bell you know I’m not one for math you should probably ask Joyce or Mike for help with that.” He said with a chuckle._

_“Gee thanks, dad I ask for help and you shoo me off to someone else.” She laughed but then froze._

_She did not mean to call him dad. Of course, he was most certainly a dad to her but she was yet to call him dad._  
  
_"I’m sorry it just slipped” El blurted out in a panic._

_Hopper looked at her then shrugged. “Eh, I don’t mind. You can call me anything really just not those gross pet names you call Wheeler.”_

_El laughed at Hopper’s skill at diffusing her awkwardness. El laughed and leaned over wrapping her arms in_ _a side hug around his shoulders._

_“Thanks for your attempted help dad.” She said laughing grabbing her math homework and leaving the room with a small skip in her step._  
  
El let out a heavy sob at that memory. Something about it was just so dear to her heart. She knew it was not the most heartfelt way she could have called him dad for the first time but somehow it still meant so much. Her head snapped up as she heard the front door to hers and mikes apartment door slam. She glanced at the clock to see it read 6:15 when Mike got home from work most days.

“El are you in the bedroom Will called me this afternoon. I tried to get off early but my boss was being a douche and wouldn’t let me leave early.”  
  
El cleared her throat to try to make her voice sound more stable“Yeah I’m in here.”

She heard Mike’s heavy clumsy footsteps making their way to their joint bedroom.

“Oh, El” he mumbled out at her red tear streaked face.

He kicked his shoes off and climbed into the bed beside her He pulled her body against his shoulder. He began rubbing a soothing hand up and down her arm.

“You’ll get through this,” he mumbled pressing his lips gently to her thick spiral curls that were shoved atop her head in a bun.

She sniffled “Promise?” she asked.

“Promise,” he said pulling her closer.  
       
  
  
     

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> follow me on tumblr! harryisqu33n.tumblr.com


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